There's No Place Like Home For the Holidays
by eostby
Summary: For the 25 Days of Christmas Challenge. Lucius and Narcissa prepare for their annual Christmas Ball, even though they'd much prefer a quiet night at home.


**A/N: Certainly not a pairing I'd ever considered writing, and yet still a callback to my first story. Though she has such interesting potential, I've yet to feel as though I properly developed Narcissa. Perhaps this attempt shall fare better. **

Lucius looked up from his parchment to see the last rays of the sun fading over the snow-encrusted hill. The day had flown by, and Lucius knew that it would soon be time to prepare the Manor for the annual Christmas Ball that he hosted every year. Lucius sighed deeply. Despite being the social event of the Wizarding World each year, he really disliked opening up his family's home, but was loathe to allow this obligation to fall from his shoulders. He longed for nothing more than a quiet Christmas Eve at home with his wife. He felt a brief pang of jealousy for his son, who was currently on his honeymoon and wouldn't be coming to the ball. Lucius longed to be where Draco was, away from this responsibility. Nevertheless, Lucius knew guests would be arriving soon, and he needed to be ready for them.

"Burtron!" Lucius called. The house-elf, in a formal butler style suit, responded immediately.

"Yes, Lord Malfoy?" the elf replied.

"Burtron, please make sure Narcissa is ready to meet me in the main hall in 5 minutes," Lucius said. The elf bowed and popped away.

Lucius cast a quick freshening charm on himself, then grabbed his most proper dress robes and strode quickly to the main hall. As expected, Narcissa was there waiting for him, dressed in her best clothes. The glow of the Tempus charm hung in the air as he arrived.

"Exactly on time, my husband," Narcissa said primly. "Are you ready?"

"I still wish we had this time to ourselves, but since Potter is still trying to settle into a family home, he found himself unable to host tonight, and so we have one last year of tradition to uphold," grumbled Lucius. "Next year, we shall make him host it, whether he likes it or not."

Narcissa's laugh echoed throughout the hall. "Why, my dear, one would think you disliked all the attention tonight would bring."

Lucius rolled his eyes as his voice took on a heavily sarcastic quality. "Oh, yes, I would much rather have the entire Wizarding World descending upon my home than to have a quiet Christmas at home with my wife. Instead of a lazy evening in front of the fire with a glass of Eggnog on Fire, curled up on an opulent couch with you at my side, I get to play host, pretend that I can stand some of these fool politicians, and not think of getting into bed at a reasonable hour. That is certainly how I wanted to spend this Christmas."

The fact that Lucius kept a straight face throughout his speech impressed Narcissa, and by the end she was having trouble holding in laughter. A snicker, then a few deep breaths to calm down, and Narcissa's face was once again a perfect mask. With the obvious exception of the mirth in her eyes, no one would have been the wiser to her predicament.

The guests arrived, the party was as wonderful as expected, and Harry Potter came up to Lucius late in the evening and said he would have a new homestead picked out soon, and would begin hosting next year as planned. This brought the widest, most genuine smile of the night from Lucius, and he shook Harry's hand excitedly before getting the attention of the hall.

"I thank you all for coming tonight," said Lucius. "I have enjoyed hosting this party over the years, and regret to inform you that tonight is the last time for the foreseeable future that I will be hosting this wonderful gathering."

A commotion sprung up after this, but Lucius motioned for them to be quiet. "However, this is because I am passing this tradition on to the next generation. Lord Harry Potter, the Man who Won, has just informed me that he has secured premises on which to make his home, and will begin hosting this party next year. Burtron, if you would bring me the tree-topper."

The house elf popped in, grabbed the item, and popped to the stage where Lucius was waiting. "Thank you, Burtron," said Lucius, and he handed the wizard shaped topper off to Harry. "Take good care of it, young Potter. I expect to see it decorate your home for years, and you will be hearing from me if it doesn't."

The crowd roared its approval at this, and Harry acknowledged the cheers with great amusement.

"Now," said Lucius, "I bid you all a good night, and a Happy Christmas." The party began breaking up, some people Apparating out to their homes to continue the celebrations, while most simply headed for their homes to sleep. After shaking a few more hands and saying a few goodbyes, Lucius and Narcissa were finally done hosting the evening. Burtron collected their formal robes and got a cozy fire going in the living room fireplace. Lucius and Narcissa sat in front of the fire, Narcissa conjuring a pair of glasses while Lucius cast a charm that poured a fine vintage wine into their glasses.

"Thank Merlin that's over," sighed Lucius. "If I had to shake one more hand, I would have started hexing people." He took a long drink from his glass.

"You know, dear, now that everyone is gone, we can have some fun of our own," mused Narcissa before taking a sip from her own glass. "The manor is empty, and we know Draco won't be popping in anytime early. He and Astoria should be enjoying the sights of Paris…" (Narcissa paused and cast another Tempus charm) "…or possibly the inside of their hotel room right now."

Lucius finished his wine and Vanished his glass. "You know, my dear, you're right. The elves know not to disturb us, and no one else should be popping in besides Draco. Shall we?"

Narcissa finished her wine and likewise Vanished her glass. "I believe we shall, my love." Narcissa grabbed her husband's hand and let him to their bedroom, shutting and locking the doors tightly behind her.


End file.
